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RE: Alternative medicines : when good things can lead to charlatanism (part I)
I think we should be careful about assuming that we as humans know better than mother nature, and that 'science' has all the answers for what's healthy and what's harmful. Yes there are products out there advertised as 'natural' and yet on closer inspection are far from it. I am a big user of natural ingredients, but I don't buy 'natural products'... I get the raw ingredients and make things myself. I never use synthetic man-made concoctions anymore, no matter how many quality-control tests they pass or expert recommendations or FDA approved or whatever. The mainstream mass-market commercial products are the biggest scammers out there.
I don't think science has all the answers... on the contrary, I think that more we know or we understand things, more we realize there is still so much to understand!
I also think "mother nature" made us with a brain we must use at is best to understand the world around us, even if it sadly lead us to be presumptuous...
I found very interesting that you are doing your own medicine. I think that for many slight injuries, it can be really good. But there is a moment in the life of a person where I think mother nature is not enough... there, we must use what she gave us : the ability of questioning ourselves, searching for answers and discovering solutions...
Don't take this as me being argumentative, I'm not trying to be! But it's a common misconception that nature can only offer so much and then man's medicines have to step in. Man's medicines are often synthetic versions of the healing properties found in plants, and often aren't as effective. The reason synthetic versions are created isn't because they're safer - on the contrary, they usually have very dangerous side effects as we see on the information leaflets - it's so the medicines can be patented and therefore are profitable. If they could patent medicinal plants to sell then they wouldn't bother making a synthetic equivalent. Healthcare in its broadest sense isn't about healing, it's about making money. Take cannabis for example... the most medicinal plant on the planet with no harmful side effects, no deaths ever, which can cure multitudes of diseases from epilepsy to cancer, and yet the public are warned that it's a 'dangerous drug'. Same for the medicinal properties of magic mushrooms, which are excellent for treating neurological illness, amongst other things. Nature gives us so much and yet in our arrogance we often choose man's creations over nature's provisions... coconut oil, ginger, hawthorn, nettles, garlic, onions, herbs, dandelions, cocoa, honey, aloe vera, wheatgrass, tea tree, catnip, alfalfa, etc etc etc... All of these things are examples of powerful healing plants. If taken in correct amounts there's no need for soooo many of the prescription or over-the-counter drugs we're reliant on, and we'd see a massive increase in healing, and a massive decrease in illness. It's a fact there's a LOT less chance of being harmed by natural medicines than by synthetic ones. (And by natural medicines I mean the raw medicinal ingredients, not the so-called 'natural medicines' you can buy in shops, which I don't trust at all). This is a very interesting subject, I hope you don't mind my long reply!
I really enjoy your reply, it is a subject I enjoy talking about. I agree that natural medicine has a lot to teach us and it is sad that today's medicine don't recognize it. I also think we are taking to much drugs for almost anything. We don't feel good, we go to the doctor and if it is a "good doctor", we will go out with a prescription... and I think it is not always necessary. I don't think doctors always do it for money : they were teach to do that way and they don't know what else to say to their patients. There is also the risk of complications and pursuits if they don't follow "protocols". But I met a few doctors who were trying other ways and feel free to orientated their patients differently : sophrology, osteopathy, homeopathy or more.
I think today's medicine would be better if it could accept there is other ways to heal people than little pills...
Agreed! :-)